Mosquitoes can be annoying and disturbing, especially when trying to relax outdoor. For this reason, knowing how to keep mosquitoes away from the porch, balcony, deck, and other outdoor living areas will improve the comfort of using these areas.
Generally, the outdoor living areas are usually open, making them easy to access for mosquitoes and other pesky insects. Before you know it, they are there to feast on you. These mosquitoes can be disturbing either during the day or at night.
Nonetheless, there are several ways to keep mosquitoes off the outdoor living areas. These various methods have been tested to ensure they are effective. Although the result varies, it is ideal to try multiple of them out.
How to Keep Mosquitoes Away from Porch, Balcony, and Deck
without any further ado, listed below are some surefire ways to keep mosquitoes away from the porch and other outdoor living areas. Some methods can be implemented immediately, while some require adequate planning.
1. Screening
The best way to make your outdoor space free of mosquitoes is to screen the area. Materials such as glass or curtains will prevent easy access to mosquitoes. This method will not only keep mosquitoes away but also make the area private, thus keeping your activity away from your nosy neighbor.
Screening has proven to be the best way to keep mosquitoes away from various outdoor areas, such as the porch, balcony, patio, pergola, and other outdoor areas where it can apply. However, this method is more expensive and requires adequate planning compared to other methods listed below.
2. Clean the Environment
A clean environment is crucial to healthy living. Mosquitoes and other sucking insects like to habitat around dirty environments. Therefore, if you are being disturbed by mosquitoes and other insects in the outdoor living area, the first thing to do is clean the area.
This method involves mowing the lawn and maintaining your trash properly. Mowed lawns are less habitable for insects and mosquitoes. After this, the next thing you want to do is appropriately keep your trash.
Food and fruit debris can also attract lots of annoying insects. If you have one close to the outdoor living areas, it will be ideal to manage it appropriately. Keep every bit of garbage in tied trash nylon and secure the nylon in a properly covered trash or garbage can.
When this is done, then other methods listed below can also be applied to keep mosquitoes away from the outdoor living areas.
3. Get Rid of Standing water
Stagnant water is a good place for mosquitoes to reproduce. For this reason, get rid of any stagnant water under the deck, porch, balcony, or around the patio by sweeping and moping it away. Checking around the area for stagnant water and getting rid of such water is also crucial.
Additionally, ensure there is no water log under the deck; if there is, fill it with sand to prevent it from happening again. Furthermore, if you have a birdbath around the outdoor living area, adding a small amount of bleach to such water will deter mosquitoes from habituating such water; However, this needs to be done with care.
Lastly, cover any reservoir you have around the home to prevent mosquitoes from getting into them is also crucial when curbing the dominance of mosquitoes.
4. Mosquitoes repellant spray
Using mosquito body spray repellant is another good way to enjoy the outdoor space without being distorted by various pesky insects. These sprays are made to possess a pleasing scent to humans, which the mosquitoes hate. When you use these sprays, these insects will not come close to you, talkless of stinging you.
Our recommended body spray for repelling mosquitoes is the Bug Soother Spray. This spray gives the body a distinctive body scent that makes you invisible to mosquitoes. Also, this spray can last up to 12 hours to ensure you are safe from mosquitoes and other annoying insects.
5. Use Essential Oils
Like herbs and flowers, essential oils are extracted from plants such as citronella, basil, and lavender and have proven effective in repelling mosquitoes. These oils possess a strong smell that keeps mosquitoes and pesky insects away.
They are natural, made from flowers and herbs, and make your outdoor space smell nice. Some of the essentials oils you should look out for include,
- Fennel essential oil
- Citronella essential oil
- Thyme essential oil
- Basil essential oil
- Clary sage essential oil
- Immortelle essential oil
- Yarrow essential oil
- Catnip essential oil
- Neem essential oil
- Pine essential oil
- Lemongrass Essential oil
6. Bug Zapper Or Repellant Device
While bug zapper can effectively kill stinging and annoying insects, it may not effectively eliminate mosquitoes. This is because mosquitoes are attracted to heat coming from the body. So, if you are only being disturbed by mosquitoes, then is device is not ideal, as it is ineffective in getting rid of mosquitoes.
Instead, you can get a pest repellant device to keep the area free of mosquitoes and other pesky insects. This device is harmless, will not hurt you or mosquitoes, and will keep the area free of flies.
This is lightweight, making it easy to take along when camping, hiking, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Additionally, this device is easy to use and comes with a clip to have it on you when on the go.
7. Use Mosquito Repellent Plants
There are several plants that keep mosquitoes away from your home and outdoor living areas. These plants possess odors that insects and mosquitoes hate, thus repelling them. These plants can also be used to decorate or improve the beauty of the outdoor living area.
Flies, mosquitoes, and other pesky insects hate the strong scent of mint and citrus, so having these plants around your home will repel these insects. Some of the bug repellants plants you can have on the porch, deck, and other outdoor living areas include
- Lemon thyme: mosquitoes
- Rosemary: mosquitoes
- Citronella: Mosquitoes, flies, ticks
- Garlic: Mosquitoes, aphids, and ants
- Peppermint: Mosquitoes, spiders
- Chrysanthemums: roaches, ants, ticks, fleas, bedbugs
- Geranium, lemon-scented: mosquitoes
- Basil: flies, mosquitoes
- Catnip: mosquitoes, ticks, flies, cockroaches
- Lavender: moths, fleas, flies, mosquitoes
- Marigold: mosquitoes
8. Citronella candles
Citronella candles have proven to be effective in repelling mosquitoes and flies. They have proven to do more than mood-setting, as they produce a smell that repels mosquitoes and flies away. So when next you want to spend some time outdoors, ensure you light this candle to have a mosquito-free experience.
Multiples of this candle can be used to have a romantic dinner. This way, you are not only repelling the mosquitoes but also decorating and creating a comfortable outdoor living area.
9. Install a Fan
Mosquitoes find it challenging to move around when the breeze is high; this makes fan effective when keeping mosquitoes away from an area. If you have a hard rooftop, you can use a ceiling fan or a standing fan if an electric socket is available in the outdoor living space.
Furthermore, a fan does more than just warding off mosquitoes and other annoying insects; it is also used to make the area comfortable. Anytime you want to spend time in the outdoor living area, don’t forget to switch on the fan to enhance the area’s comfort by enjoying a cool breeze and a mosquito-free area.
10. Insecticides
Using insecticides is another good way of keeping mosquitoes away from the porch and other outdoor living areas. Insecticides are specifically designed to kill mosquitoes and other annoying insects. However, when the scent of these insecticides is over, the mosquitoes are back in action.
For this reason, it is more recommended to use this in a screened area to make it more effective. This way, the insecticide will kill any mosquito in that area, and the screen will prevent new ones from invading the area, thus giving you a mosquito-free area.
11. Sage Burning
This is another good way of keeping an area free of mosquitoes and other pesky insects. Although, the burning of sage in an enclosed outdoor space can be dangerous because the smoke can choke. However, it is recommended and effective when used in an open area to repel mosquitoes and other annoying insects.
Sage is burned in a fire pit or stainless plate to fill the outdoor space with its smoke. Sage smells very pleasant to humans; however, mosquitoes and other pesky insects hate it.
12. Use Dim light
Mosquitoes have a good vision for specific colors; colors such as blue-green, purple, and similar colors on the more astonishing spectrum. In contrast, red, yellow, and other colors on the warmer spectrum are less visible.
With this, it’s time to change the bulbs on the balcony and other outdoor spaces to a warm color. Even though mosquitoes are not attracted to light, they use it to navigate in the absence of the sun.
13. Clean the Drainages
Drainages are a good place for mosquitoes to reproduce; therefore, cleaning and allowing a smooth flow of water in them will make it difficult for them to reproduce. When the drainages are cleaned, ensure they are covered to prevent mosquitoes from accessing these areas.
Make this a habit, and you will have an environment free of mosquitoes and other pesky insects. The drainage should be cleaned at least once weekly to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes and other annoying insects.
Conclusion
Mosquitoes are practically almost everywhere, especially where we live or use. However, they are not a friendly companion and need to be eliminated to enjoy some comfort. For this reason, we have listed various ways to keep them off the outdoor area.
Our favorite way of ensuring you have mosquitoes free area is by screening the area. However, this can be expensive; if you are looking for a less expensive option, using a mosquito repellant device or spray will be ideal. This will keep mosquitoes and pesky insects away from you.
